This invention relates to wheels for land vehicles and more particularly to wheels having spring-biased feet that retract when in contact with a road or other travelled surface. Such wheels are especially useful on vehicles for operating on rough terrain such as farm, construction and military equipment.
Spring wheels have been designed for use on automobiles, trucks and the like wherein the main consideration has been the provision of proper resiliency for smooth riding. Such wheels usually embody a tread portion formed of sections arranged end-to-end circumfirently of the wheel and yieldingly supported for independent inward movement to obtain a cushioning effect. These prior art wheels are merely intended to be substitutes for pneumatic tires, the feet thereof exhibiting a minimum amount of deflection. These wheels are therefore of limited utility over rough terrain.